SURPRISE! I hope a new chapter up so quickly makes up for my long absence.

Chapter 8

After what seemed like a lifetime, after endless miles of road, Sam and his friends finally pulled up to the dilapidated house where his brother and father lived. He heard Jessica gasp beside him when they saw the state of the house. The porch was falling off, shingles were loose, there were bars on the windows, and the yard was overgrown with weeds and bushes. How could the justice system give John custody of Adam when he lived in a house that was practically falling down?

"You okay, Sam?" Derek asked him from the front seat. Sam had not spoken the entire ride over. He simply gave Derek the address to the house and had stopped talking. He had glued his mouth shut trying not to freak out too much from his nerves and anxiety.

"Yeah, let's just go in and get Adam," Sam said as he opened the door and stepped out of the car. "My dad's truck isn't here, so I guess that's a good sign."

"Let's just get him and get out," Jessica said, sliding across the seat to get out.

"No, Jess, stay here," Sam asked. "Please?"

"Sam, I want to help."

"I know, it's just, my dad's really dangerous and crazy and I don't want you to get hurt."

Jessica's face softened. She could see the stress collected in the bags under Sam's eyes. "Okay, how 'bout I keep a lookout and call you if someone shows up?"

"Yeah, that works. Thanks," Sam added.

"No problem, Sam," Jessica laid a gentle hand on Sam's forearm which was holding the door open. "Just go get your poor brother out of there."

Sam weakly smiled in acknowledgement and shut the car door after Jess sat back inside.

Joshua and Derek followed Sam to the house. Even though John's truck was not sitting in the driveway, though that didn't mean that he was not there. Sam was paranoid at being ambushed and thrust halfcocked into a confrontation with his father. As he peered through the front window, trying to see through the dusty panes, he heard Josh whisper to Derek, "Why does Jessica get to stay in the car?"

"Man, shut up," Derek hissed.

"But—"

"I don't see anyone," Sam interrupted, not in the mood to listen to his friends bicker. "Let's go." Sam turned the doorknob and, not surprisingly, it opened. He doubted his father would have cared enough to make sure Adam was properly protecting before leaving, especially after beating him.

Light shining through the windows from the streetlamps outside cast eerie shadows on the darkened walls. The place was littered with garbage and debris. Rags stained from gun oil lay in a pile on the dirty floor next to a table lining the wall. The television was broken, bottles were sporadically tossed around the room, and Sam's throat caught when he saw something that looked like blood spotting the floor.

Sam did not want to frighten Adam, so instead he chose to quickly check each room. They searched in the places they thought Adam would be most likely to hide: in closets, under furniture, and behind furniture, but he could not find his brother anywhere. He opened a door to the first bedroom and could automatically tell it was John's room. Newspaper clippings covered every inch of the walls, salt was scattered across one desk from making salt rounds. He immediately turned around and walked out. He knew Adam would never hide in this room.

There was only one room left, and Sam was terrified of what he wouldn't find on the other side of the closed door. Breathing hard, Sam turned the knob and a thousand "what-ifs" flew into his head. What if John had come home before they got there and took Adam? What if Adam was dead? Derek saw Sam hesitated and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "C'mon, Sam, let's just do this."

Nodding his head, Sam took a deep breath and pushed the door open. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness of the room. Josh fumbled around and found a light switch and flicked it. For a second, neither teen could make out anything in the room, but then Sam saw him, sleeping in his bed, and his back to the door. It wasn't exactly a hiding place, but Sam didn't have it in his heart to reprimand the boy.

Sam slowly walked to the boy and knelt down to his level so as not to scare Adam. His baby brother was huddled under the blankets, so Sam was unable to see the extent of his injuries. "Adam," he whispered, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. Adam flinched under the touch and slowly woke up. Sam heard a sob and gently brushed back his brother's hair when Adam refused to look at him. "Adam, I'm here now. C'mon, you got to wake up now, buddy. We need to get you out of here." Sam sat on the bed. He never stopped brushing his hand through they boy's hair. The small action always calmed Adam in the past and Sam hoped it would help get Adam out of the house as soon as possible.

"Adam," Sam cooed. His baby brother turned around and looked up at Sam who sucked in his gasp when he saw the state of Adam's face. "Jesus, Adam." With that, Adam began crying, and Sam reached down to gently lift him into a sitting position.

"Hurts," Adam moaned.

"I know, kiddo, but we're gonna get you out of here," said Sam reassuringly, but Adam looked warily over at the two boys standing in the doorway and leaned fearfully into his brother. "It's okay," Sam said nodding in his friends' direction. "They're my friends. They're here to help."

"Hey, sport," Derek softly said, holding up a hand in acknowledgment. Joshua just stood in the doorway in disbelief at Adam's condition.

"Guys, could you get some clothes packed and grab me a sweatshirt for him?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, Sam," Derek got to work immediately, while Sam took a closer look at Adam's injuries.

Sam wanted to ask Adam where else he was hurting, but as he took both of Adam's wrists in his hand, Adam cried out. "Does your wrist hurt?" Sam asked, knowing it was a stupid question by the way Adam tenderly held his left hand closer to his chest.

Adam simply nodded his head. "Okay," Sam sighed, "What else hurts?"

"Everything," Adam cried. Sam ran a weary hand over Adam's face.

"Here, Sam," Derek handed him a zip-up sweatshirt. "We better get out of here, man."

"I know, just hold on a minute," Sam draped the sweatshirt over Adam's back and pulled his good arm through the sleeve. He knew he would never be able to maneuver Adam's hurt wrist through the other sleeve without causing his brother more pain than it was worth. "Let's get out of here, kiddo." Sam stood up and began reaching down to lift Adam up, but was surprised when his brother flinched away from him.

"No!" Adam yelled, "He said he'd kill you!"

"Adam," Sam kneeled again and placed a hand on Adam's knee. "He's not gonna kill us. I promise."

"No, I don't want you to get hurt," Adam sobbed.

"Look at me, kiddo," Sam put on hand on Adam's chin to draw his attention. "He's not going to kill me. We're gonna get you out of here and Dean's gonna meet us at the hospital. Would you like that?" Sam hoped that by mentioning Dean's name, Adam would agree to leave, but all Adam did was shake his head. Sam took a deep breath. John must have really threatened him for Adam to be acting like this.

"Adam, please. You've got to be brave for a little while longer, okay. I promise Dad isn't gonna hurt you again. You trust me, kiddo, don't you?"

Adam tearfully nodded his head and gingerly leaned into his brother. "Let's go, guys," Sam said as he lifted Adam into his arms.

When Sam picked up his brother, Adam let out a sob as his injuries rubbed against his clothes from the movement. "Shhh, it's okay now." Sam ran a gentle hand in Adam's hair, his head now resting in the crook of his neck.

As they were leaving Adam's room, Derek's phone started ringing. The three fearfully looked at each other before Derek took the phone from his pocket. "It's Jess." Sam paled at the thought of confronting his father.

"What are we gonna do?" Josh asked. Adam's backpack slipped off his shoulder as he shook in fear.

"There are no windows back here we could get out from. We can only go out the front door," said Sam. Without waiting for a reply from his friends, Sam quickly walked from the room. He decided they needed to move quickly, not get cornered in the house. If they could make it to the living room, maybe they would have enough space to get around John. Sam just kept trying to reassure himself that they would get out.

Unfortunately, as soon as Sam stepped into the living room, he knew they wouldn't make it out easily. John was towering in front of the doorway, completely blocking the only exit out of the house. "Boy," he directed at Adam, "I thought I made it clear what would happen if you told." Adam looked away in fear, tightening his grip around Sam's neck. Sam stopped breathing as John, eyes glinting in glee, pulled a gun from behind him, and pointed it directly at them.

Sorry the chapter was so short, but I figured I'd leave you guys with a little cliffhanger. Dean wasn't in this chapter either, but he really didn't fit in. REVIEWS please?? Oh and the episode last night was awesome! I don't want to give any spoilers away, but…Bobby and Crowley?? Lol. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Until next time…